This quintessential Maritime fishing town has a charming heritage centre that you won’t want to miss. Old Town looks like a decorated tiered cake with homes, painted in vibrant colours, climbing the hill above the harbour. All types of boats fill in the berths, from working fishing boats to historical sailing boats. This is Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
One of the places that we really wanted to visit on Our Great Canadian Roadtrip was the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Town Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. After visiting the iconic Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse we excitedly continued our drive to this colourful historic town.
Nothing compares to the amount and variety of colourful houses you’ll see when exploring Old Town Lunenburg. Street after street in this heritage area is filled with brightly painted wooden homes that climb up and down the hills above the busy harbour. Lunenburg is a great place to spend the day with no real objective other than to admire the well maintained 250 year-old homes.
The town was established in 1753 and still retains the look of a typical British Colonial town from that era. The organized grid pattern of streets lets you know it wasn’t haphazardly designed. Old Town Lunenburg is considered one of the best examples of a planned colonial town in North America. Because of this and the excellent condition of the wooden heritage homes, it received UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
Most of the buildings are privately owned and with the UNESCO status homeowners must adhere to strict guidelines for appropriate historical restoration.
In addition to colourful homes, there are many churches in Old Town. St. John’s Anglican Church was the first church established in Lunenburg in 1753 and is the second oldest Anglican Church in Nova Scotia. Its large gothic-style steeples were added in the 1800s. Down the street is a church with an interesting steeple. Instead of a cross on its roof, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church has a cod fish on its weather vane. Some say it’s because in this Nova Scotia fishing town, ‘Cod is King’.
After admiring the homes in Old Town, wander down to the harbour where the piers are filled with sailing and fishing boats. The most notable of these is Bluenose II. The original Bluenose schooner was built in Lunenburg in 1921. At the time it was the fastest racing and fishing ship in the world. For 17 years it remained undefeated in the International Fishermen’s Race and earned the title “Queen of the North Atlantic”. Its success resulted in the schooner being a beloved symbol for Canadians. Wrecked at Sea in 1946, Bluenose continues to be adored and has been pictured on Canada’s dime, 10 cent coin, every year since 1937.
Bluenose II, harboured in Lunenburg, is a replica of the original. It is mostly used to promote the province of Nova Scotia by visiting port cities in North America.
On the historic waterfront we found more colourful wooden heritage buildings. They would have been used as warehouses and for shipbuilding. From the piers you can look up and see the colourful homes of Old Town climbing the hill.
To fully appreciate the beauty of Lunenburg, we went searching for the best viewpoints. We narrowed down our top two spots. The first one is above town on Shore Road. From there we had an awesome view of the colourful buildings and the historic harbour. An even more impressive viewpoint though, is across the bay on Tannery Row. This viewpoint was the perfect spot to see the tiers of brightly painted homes climbing up above the busy historic harbour.
How to get to Lunenburg
The nearest airport is in Halifax, 100 km away. You could drive direct to Lunenburg on Highways #103 and #324 but we suggest making a few stops at Peggy’s Cove and Mahone Bay (coming soon) on the way.
Where to stay and eat
There are several hotels and Bed & Breakfasts in Lunenburg or nearby Mahone Bay. Both towns also have many restaurants and cafes to chose from with a variety of specialties.
Coming Next – Mahone Bay & Blue Rocks – Nova Scotia’s Hidden Gems
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Monkey's Tale 
I could spend hours admiring the tall ships.
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I agree and Bluenose is a very beautiful one.
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Looks like a really nice town. Some great looking homes.
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Thanks Ken, it is a great little spot to wander around. Maggie
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Lunenburg is a beauty indeed. Can you just imagine the time and money spent in maintaining these wooden houses in a Maritime climate, not to mention the ongoing repainting? Well worth the effort. We almost got to sail on the Bluenose in 2005, but the couple arriving after us apparently slipped some coin to the ticketing agent and we got bumped. The winds were light that day, so only the jib was raised and the sail was by motor. Somehow fitting for the interlopers. Thanks for the memories of this beautiful town. Have a great week. Allan
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It is remarkable that the wooden homes have managed to endure for 250 years! What a treat it would have been to sail on Bluenose II. Haha to the couple who stole your seat! Maggie
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A visual treat indeed. This looks like a place, more than anything, that must be delightful to simply stroll around. I’m guessing there are several wonderful coffee spots from which to kick back and watch local life unfold. Great piece.
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There are a nimber of coffee shops but to watch local life you have to come in the off-seaon. Otherwise it’s crwling with tourists, but remarkably they didn’t take away from the charm of the town for us.
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How quaint and lovely! The bright colors are so much fun. It’s wonderful that this town has been maintained so well and I can just imagine how fun it must have been to wander the streets and admire all the old homes and the views from the harbor.
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It is a great place to have nothing to do except wander. Taking care of these wooden homes in the damp Maritimes must take a lot of work so it makes it even more impressive. Maggie
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Beautiful and so colorful.
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Wow, it almost looks like a movie set! Love the colourful houses (and how beautiful is the Bluenose II). Yes, definitely worth a visit!
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It’s true, it’s almost too perfect to believe it’s real! Bluenose II is a beautiful schooner, I’d love to see it with it’s sails up. Maggie
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I can’t help but wonder if there might have been some colonists from Germany in Lunenburg (Lüneburg in German). Did you come across any references to the etiology of the town’s name?
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It was! The name is from the town/district where King George I family is from, Brunswick-Lunenburg. There are many places in Canada that are named for the hometown or heritage of a prominent founder or resident at the time. Maggie
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Thank you for letting me know!
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So pretty! I could do anything to live in a home like these and in such kind of a neighbourhood. Does due justice to your description of a decorated tiered cake!
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Thanks Neel, I would love to live in one of those old homes too. Maggie
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Such a great tour! I just love these colourful wooden home!
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Aren’t they great! I knew there would be quite a few in Lunenburg, but there were so many more than expected. It’s the entire Old Town! Thanks for reading! Maggie
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I love all the colourful houses. This definitely looks like a good place to just wander around for the day and enjoy the scenery and that salty ocean breeze.
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It is exactly that! The streets go up and down the hill and you can wander around aimlessly. It’s a great Canadian treasure 🙂 Maggie
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This reminds me of some places I have seen by the coast in England!
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It was likely established based on some of them, I’d love to visit the ones in the UK. Maggie
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It is worth seeing the ones in the UK for sure!
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Such a picturesque city. It is great that everyone is on board with the colorful theme.
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The colours seem to be a theme in the Maritime towns we visited. I heard its so people can find their homes in the fog, but I’m not sure if that’s true. Thanks for reading! Maggie
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Not only does Lunenburg look pretty, it also seems like a nice place to live in (or at least to stay for a few nights). I like how not-overly-touristy this town appears, which adds to its appeal. I can also imagine myself spending hours admiring Bluenose II. What a beauty!
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This post makes me very happy on this drab West Coast day. There is something so joyful about the brightly coloured houses. I remember being enchanted by them when we lived near St. John’s. I had forgotten that the Bluenose appears on our dime.
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We’re in Golden and it’s raining here too, not snowing. One of the main things I love about the Maritimes is the brightly painted homes. They do make everything more cheerful. You forgot about the Bluenose because you probably have carried cash in a long time! Stay safe and dry in Vancouver. Maggie
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I think my favourite buildings are those red ones by the harbour. The colour really pops beside the blue water. Such a scenic town…and I have loved following along on your great Canadian road trip!
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Wow, those houses are so colourful and well maintained. It looks like a film set! What a beautiful place 🙂
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It does seem a little too perfect to be real, but it is! Thanks for reading Hannah! Magie
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Colorful place! Wonder whether it got its name from this (copied from Wikipedia):
Related terms (to lune)
lunar
lunatic
lunacy
In other words, lunatic castle!
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Haha! Well maybe if that’s the case for Lunenburg in Germany 😊 It’s actually Brunswick – Lunenburg, a region that I don’t think exists anymore, but how it received its name
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Yeah, lots of crazies here, i.e., looneys who believe in conspiracy theories concerning Covid vaccinations.
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Haha. We have them too but I was surprised that Germany is less than 70%.
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Wow, what a charming little village and just look at all the colours – I very much like the bright red painted houses, they are so beautiful! From the colourful wooden homes and buildings to the churches and to the tall ships docked along the waterfront, I can see that wandering around Lunenburg is an easy way to fill your camera’s memory card. Thanks for sharing, Maggie and have a nice day 🙂 Aiva
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Thanks Aiva, Lunenburg is a great little town to spend the day. And yes, we took a LOT of pictures 🙂 Thanks for reading! Maggie
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Thanks for checking out my blog recently. I hope you enjoyed it!
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I did yes! Maggie
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Never heard of this place! It shares its colorful seaside personality with other places on both sides of the North Atlantic, it seems. I’m reminded of Maine, Iceland, western Ireland, etc., all places where crisp, bright colors might help to dispel long, cloudy seasons?
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I love the colours in The Maritimes too. I heard, not sure if it’s true, that it used to be so they could see their homes through the fog. Now it’s a tradition of course. Lunenburg really has to be among the top colourful towns of this region. Thanks for your comments Lex! Maggie
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Those colorful houses reminds me of the Scandinavian region, especially Copenhagen.
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Yes, it’s very similar I think. It’s also very common in Atlantic Canada. Lunenburg is the best example we have since it has a large Old Town and almost all of the homes are brightly painted. Thanks for your comments Arv, Maggie
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I wasn’t aware that you have many similar towns with colorful homes. Thanks for the information, Maggie.
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The Maritimes have many colourful fishing villages and towns. It’s so different than western Canada and we loved exploring it. Thanks for reading Arv! Maggie
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Such a pretty place to visit. I looked up the town and found out the population is a little over 2,000. The post said that there is a fish processing plant there. i had wondered how people made a living there. I love the brightly colored houses. Now a days it seems that most people paint their houses white, black, gray or some similar drab or unimaginative color. Looks like an interesting place to live, too.
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It’s a very pretty place. Now I think the people in Old Town are required to paint in bright colours, but it has been their tradition since the town was built. They also have a ship building warehouse too but I’m not sure how many it employs. Thanks for your input! Maggie
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Beautiful photos! Excellent place thank you for sharing 🎉🙂💕😊
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Thank you! Maggie
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You are welcome.🙏💓God bless you.
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Colourful is the right word! the paint shops must have been cleaned out! looks fantastic though! thanks for sharing!
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Haha we thought the same 🙂 Thanks for reading! Maggie
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I also enjoyed my visit to Lunenburg. As you say, it is a virtually untouched colonial town that is shown to us. The first inhabitants came mainly from Germany and Switzerland. The houses stayed in the same family for several generations, which explains the continuity before the urban planning rules
came to protect it.
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What a lovely place! A great discovery for me!
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Lunenburg is a true gem on Canada’s east coast, glad we could show it to you 🙂 Maggie
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The colorful houses are so well maintained. This is a lovely gallery! I stayed there some years ago and would recognize those iconic red buildings at the harbor anywhere.
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Thanks Ruth. It is an unmistakable view isn’t it? 😊
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That town is eye candy. Love it!
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Great description! It is a feast for the eyes! Maggie
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I agree with your title, I think it’s the most colourful town in whole Canada, too🙂 Although there is a tie between Nova Scotia and Alberta for the best picturesque province LOL
We definitely must return to NS one day, as we didn’t have much time to explore it on our first visit there, we only had time for Cape Breton, Fortress of Louisbourg, and Digby to see the whales, but I see there is soo much more.
Lovely, thank you for the tours🙂
Christie, xx
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Newfoundland is up there too for scenic views. 😊 We missed the whale season though on our trip so maybe next time! Maggie
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That church is beautiful, and I love those fairy tale doors!!!
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I love the old churches. So much more character than moder ones. 😊
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Love this post!
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Thank you!
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What a pretty town with these lovely painted homes and churches.
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Yes, it is very pretty, I wish we could have spent a few days there instead of just the day. Thanks for reading! Maggie
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Wow! Great captures!
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Thank you 🙂
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That is a lot of colour!
✨🙏🕉🌱🌿🌳🌻💚🕊☯🐉✨
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It is! Some say it’s so they can find it in the fog but I’m not sure that’s true. Thanks for your comments! Maggie
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✨❄⛄🎄🥂💖🥂🎄⛄❄✨
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Absolutely breathtaking!!
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Thank you! It’s one of the cutest towns in Canada. 😊
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Very pretty. Nova Scotia looks like the next place to visit for me.
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Nova Scotia has so many great spots! Thanks for reading 🙂 Maggie
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Oh wow!! Every single building is gorgeous! And that church! They all look like they’re made out of that crinkled cardboard, hahaha. Absolutely love it, adding this to the never-ending list.
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It almost does look like it was made just for tourists. They were good city planners at the turn of the century! Thanks again for reading and commenting! Maggie
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